Premier's first Tajikistan visit in 14 years will exert significant impact on bilateral ties, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

 

"Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming visit to Tajikistan will be the first of its kind since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 14 years ago," Zhang Xiao, a counselor of the Foreign Ministry, told a news briefing on Wednesday.

 

The briefing came ahead of Wen's trip to Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany and Tajikistan from September 9 to 16.

 

"The visit is aimed at deepening China-Tajikistan neighborly friendship, beefing up the trade cooperation and crackdown on 'three evil forces' of separatism, terrorism and extremism," Zhang said.

 

Wen will hold talks with his Tajikistan counterpart Akil Akilov, exchanging views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

 

The visit will result in the signing of a series of cooperative deals.

 

Wen will also attend the Fifth Meeting of Prime Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), to be held in Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe.

 

The meeting will focus on carrying out the consensuses reached by the heads of SCO members at the June summit in Shanghai.

 

Established in 2001, the SCO groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2006)